


Go To The Light

by TheOriginalCowboyCat



Series: Destiny Shorts [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Drabble Collection, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25542883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOriginalCowboyCat/pseuds/TheOriginalCowboyCat
Summary: "Just a couple victims of this brutal repriseAm I strong enough to let things just die?"
Series: Destiny Shorts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050665
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

Cayde-6.

Loveable jokester.

Hunter Vanguard.

A friend to all...

... lay dead before you, a single bullet hole shattering the armor on his chest.

You had gotten there a moment too late, you watched as his killers departed, taking with them Cayde's most prized possession: the Ace of Spades... the very weapon that killed him.

As a Guardian, you have dealt with death and loss before... when the Red War stole the light and life from many of your friends that you would never see again. But this... this shakes you down to your very core and you can't stop the tears that sting your eyes and force their way to the surface.

Your chest heaves with a sob as you tear your helmet off, struggling to catch your breath as your Ghost desperately tries to console you, saying that it wasn't your fault and there was nothing more you could have done.

Echoing footsteps soon fills up the empty space as Petra Venj makes her return, gasping softly at the sight before her. "No..." she says, carefully walking towards you and your fallen ally, "... no,".

She says nothing as she kneels beside you, arms extended over Cayde's as she let's out a nearly inaudible, confused and sorrowful whimper. After a painfully silent moment, cut short by the distant howls of the creatures that were once Fallen, Petra finally turns to you and mutters "...Guardian,".

You don't respond.

"Guardian, we need to leave...,".

Your Ghost gently prods you in the shoulder, hoping to get some sort of response, but to no avail.

"Guardian, please... it is no longer safe-".

" _No_..." you finally manage to say.

It is common knowledge that you are not one to speak, and that fact is made clear by the startled looks your Ghost and Petra both share as you continue.

" _I won't leave him_...".

The howls grow ever closer.

"I wouldn't ask that of you, but-" Petra looks down at Cayde again, at you and then herself, "I am going to need your assistance... bringing him to my ship. Are you able to manage that?".

With an uneven, trembling sigh you nod, beckoning your Ghost to return to your backpack where you can ensure his safety.

"Good," Petra says as she stands, drawing her knife once again, "I'll be sure to make a clear path... and Guardian?".

You barely manage to meet her gaze as you bend over and pick up the lifeless corpse of the man they called Cayde, eyes burning with a mix of emotions.

"... I'll be waiting,"


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro-4 couldn't remember the last time he saw the Young Wolf enter the Iron Temple, it had to have been two, maybe even three years. But, there they were, in all their glory, their Light as bright and strong as ever.

They'd been busy the last few years, Lord Saladin had been sure to tell of their feats. It would seem God-Slaying was something they were quite good at.

"Lord Guardian! It's been quite some time, what brings you to the Iron Temple?".

They said nothing, which wasn't all that surprising, Shiro wasn't sure if they'd ever spoken to him directly. Ghost was the one who did all of the talking.

So, when their Ghost floated up to him silently, his single blue eye cast downward, the exo could tell something was not right. "You two have a safe trip up here? There's been reports of some splicers roaming around the base of the mountain, if I had known you were coming, I'd have sent a warning,".

Still, the duo said nothing.

He chuckled nervously.

"Did you... need something?".

Ghost finally looked up at him, "Shiro...".

An unsettling feeling washed over him as the Ghost continued.

"It's Cayde...".

"What about Cayde? Did he get himself into trouble again and sent you to come get me so I can bail him out?" Shiro asked, hoping his nonchalant attitude would mask his discomfort

The Young Wolf's shoulders shuddered as he spoke, taking in a sharp, shaky breath as they reached up and pulled their helmet up from their head. They looked tired, matted, sweat-soaked hair clung to their forehead as they looked at him with glazed-over eyes.

"... Guardian?".

The Young Wolf gestured to their Ghost and held out their arms, watching as a dark, black and red cloth materialized before them.

Shiro recognized it immediately.

"Oh no...".

"He..." the Guardian began, unfolding the Hunter Vanguard's cloak to reveal a weapon. A white and black hand cannon, with Cayde's signature insignia printed on the barrel, "He would want you to have it. I want you to have it,".

"...Ace," Shiro muttered softly, shaking hands taking hold of his friend's most prized possession.

"There was a prison break at the Prison of Elders. Petra Venj, Cayde, and the two of us were sent to help and..." Ghost hesitated, looking up at his Guardian who only looked away, "Cayde didn't make it...".

Didn't make it. Didn't make it? The only way for a Guardian to die is...

"Who," he said.

It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

"Who did this... I'll-".

"It's already done," the Guardian said again, their jaw ridged, eyes growing more distant, "...it's done".

Shiro stiffened at how... remorseful they sounded. Just what had the Young Wolf done? He tried searching their eyes for _something_ , but...

"... we came here on our own volition," Ghost told him, "but... there's word that the Vanguard will send for you, about-".

"Cayde's position," the exo muttered, "I-...".

"It's up to you, nothing had been decided on but... you're the most likely candidate for the job. So, I figured we'd give you the heads up,".

"So I can escape the dare... right?"

The Young Wolf swallowed hard and nodded.

Shiro looked down at the gun again and sighed, flicking open the barrel to find a single bullet left in the chamber. He didn't know why but somehow, he understood the symbolism.

"I dont have an answer, and... I'm not sure I ever will, but... thank you," he said, flicking the barrel closed and gesturing to Ace "thank you for this,"

The Young Wolf nodded, opened their mouth, and shut it again before sighing. "Ace should be yours," they said, finally meeting his eyes, "I'm not worthy of it,".

If not for the situation, Shiro would have laughed. The Young Wolf... not worthy? He wasn't sure such a thing was possible, but the sincerity of their tone was enough for him not to question them.

"Thank you," he said again, softly this time.

The Guardian shared one last solemn smile before turning back toward where their ship hovered idly in the distance, Ghost following close behind. They were gone as quickly as they came.

Shiro watched them leave, taking note of the cloak that hung from their shoulders and Cayde's insignia staring back at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Beyond Light and Season of the Hunt Spoilers!)

The Young Wolf sat silently in the cockpit of their ship, Ghost hovering just above their shoulder as they drifted aimlessly in the Moon’s orbit. Neither had said a word since the incident inside the Shrine of Oryx, when Osiris was struck and nearly killed by a deranged Hive Knight only to be rescued by.. by...

“Guardian…” Ghost said, his shell whirling softly, “Are you alright?”.

There was no answer, no words to express how they were feeling. A swirl of emotions stormed through the Young Wolf’s mind: anger, fear, regret.

“... Would you like to talk about it?” he continued despite knowing that it was rare to get his Guardian to speak more than a few words at a time, “I know this can’t be easy for you,”.

_That was an understatement_ , the Young Wolf thought bitterly. How cruel fate was... bringing _him_ of all people, back to life. But, it wasn’t _him_... just as they were no longer the person they were before Ghost found them all those years ago. But seeing _his_ face, they remembered what that face did to Cayde, they remembered- The Young Wolf closed their eyes, and let out a shuttering breath.

They remembered the stifled fear in ~~Uldern Sov’s~~ face as they held him at gunpoint with the very same weapon that started this whole mess... and they remembered ending it the same way it began.

With a single bullet.

Their actions haunted them everywhere they went. Even years later, Petra Venj and the Young Wolf could not look each other in the eye, knowing what the other had done, what they had told themself needed to be done. The Hunters they came across hailed them as a hero, even though they felt like anything but.

_Murderer..._ the little voice in their head told them.

_What makes you better than him? Guardians aren’t supposed to kill mercilessly, they’re supposed to protect people. He should have paid for his crimes, but not at the end of a barrel._

The Young Wolf clenched their fist and gritted their teeth. 

_Are you going to kill him again?_ the voice asked, _was once not enough?_

“...Guardian,” Ghost said.

_Or are you going to run to the Vanguard, and let some other Guardian take care of it?_

They knew very well that there were Guardians out there who would not hesitate to put a bullet in the little Ghost called Glint, knowing that it would mean the man who wore a killer’s face would stay dead for good. 

The thought of hurting a helpless Ghost sickened them... after Sundance, and now Sagira... 

“Guardian?!”.

The Young Wolf jolted out of their thoughts, opening their eyes to find Ghost hovering dangerously close to their face, his small blue eye blinking rapidly with worry. Confusion washed over them for a moment before they were aware of a harsh, stinging cold that crept up their right arm.

Looking down, they saw a jagged layer of ice ~~_The DARKNESS_~~ encasing their clenched fist... It was trying to take over them, feeding off their thoughts of revenge and fear.

Calmly as they could, the Young Wolf closed their eyes once more and took a long, drawn-out breath, forcing the thoughts that plagued them out of their mind. _Remember whos a side you’re on,_ they reminded themself, _remember what you’re fighting for..._ ** _who_** _you’re fighting for._

Slowly, the gnawing cold that seeped through their armor faded, and was replaced with the familiar warmth of solar energy, a small, sun-like orb of light forming in the palm of their hand.

“I’m okay,” they said quietly after letting the flame fizzle out, finally looking to Ghost again before adding, “I’m still here, Little Light,”.

Despite the inability to show facial expressions, they knew Ghost was looking at them with doubt and concern, and they didn’t blame him. He had every right to be scared for ~~of~~ his Guardian. “You and I have seen what this power can do to people if they aren’t careful,” he said, trying and failing to mask the anxiety in his voice, “We’ve lost so much already... I don’t want to lose you to _this_ , Guardian,”.

~~_“I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you,”._ ~~

“You won’t,” the Young Wolf promised, beckoning him forward, “I’m sorry I scared you,”.

Ghost whirled his shell softly and floated gently into their still warm hand, a major sign of trust given what just happened. “So much is happening so fast... “ he said, “First the Traveler reforms, then we lose Mercury, Mars, Io and Titan. Variks comes back, you start wielding the Darkness... Xivu Arath is corrupting herself an army and Sagira-...”. The statement hung in the air for a moment before he continued, “And now...,”.

“I know,” they replied, “I’m trying to process it too,”.

All that, everything that Ghost just described, had happened in a little more than a week with barely any time in-between.

“... what are we going to do? About... Crow _,_ I mean,”.

“I don’t know, I really don’t know,”. Telling the Vanguard or this new revelation was out of the question, as was telling Petra as much as it pained them to admit. The rumors had already reached her, and they didn’t want to be the one to tell her what became of the former prince... and who he was working for. “But I suppose we just help him and Osiris as best we can, make sure Spider isn’t pulling any tricks,”.

“Knowing him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is,” Ghost said with a gentle sigh, “Speaking of... I’ll set course for Thieves' Landing. We have to stop the corruption before it spreads even further and take down the High Celebrant that killed Sagira. Then after that, I guess it's off to Xivu Arath”.

The Young Wolf nodded, allowing Ghost to hover back up into the open air above their shoulder as they took hold of the ships controls. “Say, it’s been a while since we’ve killed a God, hasn’t it,” they said, giving him a sly grin.

He chuckled and rolled his eye.

“Think I can do it?”.

If Ghosts could smile, they knew he could be.

“Without a doubt, Guardian. Without a doubt,”.


End file.
